Domènec Balmanya i Perera (; 29 December 1914 – 14 February 2002), also referred to as Domingo Balmaña, was a former Spanish football

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and manager who spent most of his playing career at

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...

. As a manager, he guided

CF Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

to the a

Copa del Generalísimo The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footba ...

win in 1957 and to victory in the first ever

Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup (n ...

in 1958. He then had moderately successful spells at

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the S ...

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vi ...

and

CD Málaga Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992. History Origins The first football club in Málaga was estab ...

before he guided

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in ...

to a

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

title in 1966. He subsequently managed

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

between 1966 and 1968. After retiring as a coach he worked as a director of sport at both

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

and FC Barcelona and as a director at a Catalan coaching school. He also worked as a radio commentator.

Playing career

Born in

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capit ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, before joining

, Balmanya began his playing career with his hometown club,

Girona FC Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. is a professional football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, it plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 Segunda División play-offs. Girona holds its home matches at ...

. He made his

debut with Barça on November 10, 1935, under coach Patrick O'Connell, in a 1–0 defeat to

. During his time at Barcelona he played 111 games for the club in various competitions and among his early teammates were

Joan Josep Nogués Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

Josep Escolà Josep Escolà Segalés (28 August 1914 – 7 March 1998), also referred to as José Escolà, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward. He spent most of his club career at FC Barcelona. Escolà also played for both Spain and the Catalan ...

and Enrique Fernández. During his debut season, 1935–36, he helped the club win the Campionat de Catalunya and reach the

Copa de España The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footba ...

final. During the following season, 1936–37, national football was suspended because of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

. However Barcelona and other clubs in the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

area of Spain competed in the

Mediterranean League The Mediterranean League, also referred to as the Lliga Mediterrània ( ''Catalan''), the Liga Mediterránea ( ''Spanish'') or La Liga del Mediterráneo, was a football league played in the Republican area of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The ...

and Balmanya and O’Connell helped the club win this title. In 1937 Barcelona, including Balmanya, Escolà and O’Connell, went on a fund raising tour to Mexico and the United States. The club played fourteen games and opponents included

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. ...

Atlante F.C. Atlante Fútbol Club, is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. Founded in 1916, Atlante were original members of the Mexican Primera División when it began in 1943. Atlante has won three national league championships, t ...

Necaxa Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Necaxa, is a Mexican professional football club in Liga MX based in the city of Aguascalientes. It plays in the Estadio Victoria. History Foundation (Light and Power Comp ...

and a Mexican XI. In the United States, FC Barcelona played in and won a tournament against a ''Brooklyn XI'', a ''New York XI'' and a ''Hebrew XI'' and then played a USA XI. In financial terms this tour saved the club, but O’Connell returned to Spain with only four players. The remaining players went into exile with Balmanya and Escolà joining

FC Sète FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...

in France. After the

ended in 1939, the Francoist government imposed a six-year ban on any exiled sportsmen returning to Spain. However Enrique Piñeyro, the president of Barcelona, campaigned in favour of several of the club's players and Balmanya and Escolà returned from exile in 1941. During their first season back, Barça, with

as coach, narrowly avoided being relegated after winning a play-off against

Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, playing h ...

. Despite this however the club managed to win the

, beating

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los Le ...

4–3 after extra time. Between 1935 and 1944, Balmanya also played 4 games for the Catalan XI. On 19 January 1936, at the ''Les Corts'', he played in a testimonial for

Josep Samitier Josep Samitier Vilalta (; 2 February 1902 – 4 May 1972), also known as José Samitier, was a Spanish football player, manager and scout who played as a midfielder for FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, OGC Nice, the Catalan XI, and Spain. He lat ...

against SK Sidenice of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Other players in the Catalan XI that day included Sagibarba

Coaching career

Balmanya subsequently followed Nogués to

Gimnàstic de Tarragona Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly known as Gimnàstic Tarragona or sometimes just Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2. ...

where he both finished his playing career and began his coaching career when he succeeded Nogués as coach in 1949. However his first appointment as coach ended in disappointment as Gimnástic were relegated in 1950. After spells at both

and

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...

, Balmanya found his first taste of success at

Real Oviedo Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926 as a result of the merger of two clubs who had maintained a large sporting rivalry for years in the city: ''Real Stadium Club Ovetense'' and ''Real Club De ...

when he guided them to second place in Segunda División, Group 1 in 1955. However Real missed out on promotion after finishing only third in a play-off group. Balmanya served as coach at

for two seasons between 1956 and 1958. With a squad including

Velasco Velasco (also Belasco or Belasko) is a Spanish family name. According to the academy of Basque language, it is derived from the Visigothic name 'Vela' (Vigila) and the Basque suffix ''–sco''.https://www.euskaltzaindia.eus/en/ (Onomastics, Belas ...

Joan Segarra Joan Segarra Iracheta (15 November 1927 – 3 September 2008) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender. He spent 16 seasons with FC Barcelona between 1950 and 1964, in which he played 299 matches in La Liga and served as the team's capt ...

, Ramallets,

Ladislao Kubala Ladislao is a given name, a Hispanic variant of Vladislav. Notable people with the name include: * Ladislao Cabrera, Bolivian hero during the War of the Pacific * Ladislao Diwa, Filipino patriot * Ladislao Martínez, Puerto Rico musician * Lászl ...

Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...

and Evaristo, he won the

in 1957 and the first ever

in 1958. However, during his two seasons with Barcelona, they finished third in

on both occasions and in 1958 he was replaced by

Helenio Herrera Helenio Herrera Gavilán (; 10 April 1910 – 9 November 1997) was an Argentine, naturalized French, football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success with the Inter Milan team known as '' Grande Inter'' in the 1960s. During ...

. After two seasons in France with

, Balmanya returned to

to take charge of

in 1960 and in 1961 he helped them win their own summer trophy, the ''Trofeo Naranja''. Guest player

Sándor Kocsis Sándor Péter Kocsis (; ; 21 September 1929 – 22 July 1979) was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary as a striker. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Pusk ...

scored in both games as Valencia beat

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

and Barcelona. He also guided the club to the 1962

final. However the original final date clashed with the

1962 World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place be ...

and was postponed. By the time the final was eventually played, Balmanya had moved on and he missed out on the club's 6–3 aggregate win over Barcelona. During the 1963–64 season Balmanya was coach at

and he guided the club to third place in

. He then coached

for the 1964–65 season, helping them win promotion after they finished runners-up in Segunda División, Group 2 and then beat

Levante UD Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. (, ca-valencia, Llevant Unió Esportiva ) is a Spanish football club in Valencia, in the namesake autonomous community. Founded on 9 September 1909, Levante play in Segunda División, holding home games at Ci ...

in a play-off. He was then appointed coach at

for the 1965–66 season and with a squad that included

Enrique Collar Enrique Collar Monterrubio (born 2 November 1934) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left winger. He earned 16 caps and scored 4 goals for the Spain national football team from 1955 to 1963. He played in the 1962 FIFA Wo ...

Miguel Jones Miguel Jones Castillo (; 27 October 1938 – 8 April 2020) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for SD Indautxu and Atlético Madrid during the 1950s and 1960s. Football career Although born in Spanish Guinea, now known as Equat ...

, Adelardo and

Luis Aragonés Luis Aragonés Suárez (; 28 July 1938 – 1 February 2014) was a Spanish football player and manager. Aragonés spent the majority of his career as a player and coach at Atlético Madrid. He was a prominent player and then coach of the succe ...

he won his only

title. These successes saw him appointed coach of

and between 1966 and 1968 he was in charge of the national side for 11 games.

Honours

Player

: 1942, runners-up 1936 *

: 1937 * Campionat de Catalunya: 1935–36 * New York Tournament: 1937

Manager

Real Oviedo * Segunda División, Group 1: runners-up 1955 Barcelona *

: 1957 *

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup (n ...

: 1958 Valencia * Trofero Naranja: 1961 Málaga * Segunda División, Group 2: runners-up 1965 Atlético Madrid * Spanish Champions: 1966

References

Bibliography

* Jimmy Burns
''Barça: A People's Passion'' (1998).

External links

* *
Coach stats at Cadistas1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balmanya, Domenec 1914 births 2002 deaths Sportspeople from Girona Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Catalonia Spanish footballers La Liga players FC Barcelona players FC Sète 34 players Gimnàstic de Tarragona footballers Girona FC managers UE Sant Andreu footballers Girona FC players Spanish football managers Spain national football team managers Gimnàstic de Tarragona managers Real Zaragoza managers Real Oviedo managers FC Barcelona managers FC Sète 34 managers Valencia CF managers Real Betis managers CD Málaga managers Atlético Madrid managers Cádiz CF managers UE Sant Andreu managers La Liga managers Expatriate football managers in France Spanish expatriate football managers Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France Catalonia men's international footballers